From the Service Department of Honda Express

They tell you hybrid cars give you mad gas mileage. Unless you’re going on a long-distance drive, this is bullshit. The constant start-and-stop of city traffic prevents the battery from charging.The government gives hybrid car owners tax incentives. Prior to December 31, 2005, this was a one-time $2,000 deduction. The new hybrid car tax credit allows a $400 to $3400 tax credit depending on model. A credit is much better than a deduction since a tax credit directly reduces taxes owed, as opposed to simply reducing taxable income. This credit is set to phase out once an automaker has sold 60,000 vehicles.This sounds great, but best case scenario, the bill pretty much evens out:The oil that’s used in hybrid cars is almost 3 times as expensive as normal oil.Hybrid tires are also more expensive, and wear down faster because of the extra weight of the car. The tires can’t be rotated, so they don’t last as long.Up North, road salting leads to the erosion of battery cables.To hybrid, or not? A few extra bucks may be worth reducing dependency on oil and easing up on pollution.

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I'm looking for my next opportunity to solve user interface problems and make an impact. Currently, I'm teaching code to high school students with CodeNation (formerly ScriptEd) and I'm a contributor on a mobile canvassing app called Reach. Some of my projects are on GitHub. I blog about what I'm learning and random tidbits that catch my fancy. Contact me at mtaylor@megantaylor.org